


Overclocked

by somnivagrantTraviatus



Category: Undertale
Genre: AFAB Frisk, Agender Frisk and Chara, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Gen, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Platonic Soulmates, Reader Is Frisk, Selectively Mute Frisk, Soft Chara, Soulmate-Identifying Songs, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, non-graphic flashback and subsequent panic attack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-29
Updated: 2016-01-29
Packaged: 2018-05-17 01:38:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5848957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somnivagrantTraviatus/pseuds/somnivagrantTraviatus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone is born with a soulclock that counts down to when they'll meet their soulmate. A soulmate is the person who completes you, your other half; that's why it's impossible to have more than one clock.</p><p>Except, you were born with a lot more than that. And what's even more of a problem? All your soulmates are monsters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Overclocked

Clocks.

That's all anyone at the orphanage ever talked about - where their clocks were, what they looked like, what the numbers on them read. 

When you had first arrived, some of the older kids had been kind enough to tell you what they meant. Everyone was born with a clock, they said, that counted down to when you see your soulmate for the first time. Since the clock was tied to your soulmate, each one looked different because its design reflected their personality. Where the clock was was important, too - the placement of each one symbolized what they’d mean to you, they said.

You had asked, what happens when a person has more than one?

They laughed. Nobody has more than one, they told you knowledgeably. It's impossible to have more than one soulmate.

You pulled your sweater over your wrist and walked away, your mother’s shouts ringing in your ears. Finally understanding why she called you a freak didn't make it hurt any less.

You had resolved then and there not to let anyone see your clocks, but that was easier said than done. There were only so many times you could shower by yourself, and finding places where you wouldn't be seen to change before gym was no guarantee against the other children finding you, accidentally or on purpose. It wasn't long before someone had caught a glimpse of the clocks across your collarbone and told everyone else.

When the headmistress heard that one of her children had more than one clock, she called you into her office. You weren't surprised when she made you strip so she could see for herself how many clocks you had.

“Eleven,” she finally said, after you had been allowed back into your clothes. “Eleven clocks. Even if you don't count that mess of a timepiece on your back, and I'm not sure I do, that's still nine more clocks than anyone should have. Young lady, do you have anything to say for yourself?”

You just shrugged. It was easier than forcing the words past your throat to explain, again, that you weren't a girl, and that you had no idea why you had so many clocks. 

“What I don't understand isn't just how many you have, Hannah. It's their color. Do you understand what white clocks mean?”

Wincing at the name (even if that were your name, that wasn't how it was pronounced!), you shook your head.

She leant further over her desk at that, looking up over her glasses at you. “Soul clocks come in all colors of the rainbow, to best represent your soulmate’s soul. A clock can be any combination of red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, or purple. But human souls are never white.” When you didn't react, she extended that line of thought to its conclusion. “Hannah, only monster souls are white. You are destined to live with monsters.”

Eyes widening, you took a step back. Destined to live with monsters? That sounded like a curse. Your head filled with shadows and grasping hands. “Come stay with us, Hana,” they whispered, in voices that sounded like your dad’s. When you flinched, beginning to shiver, they laughed. “It's okay, Hana,” they said. “My little flower, you know you'll come to me eventually.” 

The weight of the headmistress’s eyes on you helped you think little more clearly. ' _I'm not there anymore. My name is Frisk. I'm not his little flower._ ' You repeated the mantra to yourself until your heart rate returned to normal and you could stop trembling.

“Are you alright, Hannah?”

Hiding another wince at the name, you nodded. When her mouth flattened disbelievingly, you stared at her, refusing to back down.

Finally, she broke the staredown with a sigh. “You do know that you can tell me if anything is bothering you, correct?”

You nodded again. She pushed a hand under her glasses to rub at her temples. 

“As long as you're certain. Dismissed.”

Things only got worse after that. The other kids had heard, somehow, about your eventual fate and began teasing you about your future life with monsters. A few of them started daring you to climb Mt. Ebott, so you could “find your soulmates”. And even the teachers had started whispering about you behind your back. Suddenly, it didn't help that you always tried your hardest and were a quiet student. Your grades came back lower than ever, and when you tried to ask what was wrong, you were just told to put in more effort. And when the other children began picking on you during class again, the teachers didn't stop them anymore.

It all came to a head when one of your teachers took you out on a “special outing”. She was one of the nicer teachers, so you were taken completely by surprise when she drove you, not to town, but to the top of the mountain. “I just can't do this anymore,” she said, when you asked her what was wrong. “Eleven soulmates, all monsters? It's not right. Humans only have human soulmates, and only one. Maybe monsters like you are different, but that's not how we do things up here.”

You tried to tell her that you weren't a monster, but it had no effect. “I don't know how you got up here, but you can't be human. You might have fooled everyone else, but you can't fool me,” she said, and got back into the car. She locked the doors before you could get in, then rolled down the window. “Go back to your own kind,” she shouted, and drove away.

You tried to run after her, but the slope was too steep, and you kept tripping over rocks. You tried to call for help, but your throat was tight and dry and you couldn't make a sound. You wet your lips and tried again.

But nobody came.

Night was fast approaching, and you knew you had to find shelter before it got dark. Seeing a cave not too far away, you hurried toward it. But once you crossed its threshold, it was like night had fallen early. Unable to see where you were going in the pitch-black cave, you tripped over something (some kind of vine?), and fell for a long time.

\---

When you wake up, it's to the smell of pancakes, and a smile stretches over your face. Downstairs, you know, your family will be waiting for you. Toriel is probably at the stove, cooking breakfast and gritting back complaints about having to cook for Asgore's massive appetite as Napstablook does what they can to keep her company. Undyne, Papyrus, and Mettaton are probably trying to keep their voices down so they don't wake you as they talk, though you can still hear Pap screech when Sans makes what's probably a breakfast pun. Alphys is probably sitting contentedly next to (or on) her girlfriend, blushing as Undyne smooches off some errant maple syrup, and that means Chara is busy covering Asriel’s and Gaster’s eyes as both of them complain that they're old enough not to have to put up with that. Giggling a little at the image, you pull yourself out of bed and walk downstairs, rubbing the last of the sleep from your eyes.

“GOOD MORNING, FRISK,” Papyrus loudly whispers, as he does every morning. “DID YOU SLEEP WELL?”

“G’mornin,” you yawn, blinking happily as you open your eyes. The monsters are all staring at you, you realize, so you check to make sure you aren't wearing any socks. “What? Did I say something weird?”

Chara looks between you and the monsters, then grins. “I get it. This is the first time they've heard you speak, isn't it? Don't worry, Frisk, they just found your notes in their Heartsongs.”

“Heartsongs?”

“Yeah, you didn't know?” Chara frowns. “Guess not. Anyone wanna explain?”

Asgore kneels in front of you, putting a hand on your left shoulder. The clock there warms at his touch. “Monsters like us do not have clocks to tell us who our soulmates are,” he explains with a smile. “Instead, we have music in our hearts.”

“Every instrument we hear belongs to someone close to us,” Toriel continues, coming away from the stove to put her hand on your other shoulder. The clock there warms under her touch, too. “When we hear them speak, we are able to recognize their voice in our Heartsongs.”

“So, what you're saying is, I'm your soulmate?” You turn to Asriel, who nods, smiling. “I'm all your soulmates?” Every face you turn to meet has the same bright smile.

You take a step back, overwhelmed, but a bony hand between your shoulder blades stops you. Another clock warms under Gaster’s fingers. “Child, there is no need to look so frightened! This is a good thing. We all knew you were important to us; this simply confirms it.”

“But more than one person can't have the same soulmate. Right? Just like how one person can't have more than one soulmate.”

Sans slips an arm over your shoulders, and the clock on the back of your neck warms. “whoever fed you that load of hogwash is dead wrong,” he grins. “anybody who says that people can only love one person each is a pig. ‘sides, there are different kinds of love. just ‘cause i love pap doesn't mean i can't love anybody else, right?”

“I've got two, and I'm just swine,” Chara adds. When you turn to look at them, they just hold up their hands. There's a zeroed clock on each of their wrists, you notice for the first time, and your heart wells up with glee. Ducking out from under Sans’s arm, you say, “I've gotta check something!” and run up the stairs.

With the help of two mirrors and a lot of twisting and turning, you're able to find and check all eleven clocks. Every single one, from the two at your shoulders to the one on the back of your right ankle, is at zero.

When you run back downstairs, you throw yourself at the first monster you see. Papyrus catches you under the armpits and swings you around, and the clock over your belly button warms gently. “NOT TO IMPLY THAT I AM NOT ALWAYS HAPPY TO RECEIVE HUGS FROM YOU, FRISK, BUT WHAT IS THE OCCASION?” he asks.

“I'm just really happy,” you laugh, hugging him tightly before bouncing to the monster next to him.

“Well, yeah, duh,” Undyne mutters, though she gives you an obliging hug and noogie nonetheless. “What about, punk?”

When the clock on your right bicep warms, you push up your sleeve, just enough to show her the zeroes. “That one’s yours,” you tell her, beaming when she grins her sharp-toothed smile at you.

“Darling, you simply must show me mine,” Mettaton announces as you’re passed into his waiting arms. You tap the one that winds around the bottom of your left leg, posing to show it off as best as you can. “Ooh, how impressive!” he exclaims. “May I?” When you nod, he traces the looping outline of his clock, and you giggle. The warmth follows his finger, tickling your skin. 

You're passed around the room, hugging each monster and pointing out their clocks in turn. Finally, you’re passed to Chara, who sets you down on your own two feet again. You immediately wrap them and Asriel in the biggest hug you can manage, grinning as both the clocks on your collarbone seem to glow with warmth. “Thank you,” you whisper, low enough that no one else can hear you.

“What for? I didn't do anything,” the siblings both say together.

You nudge both their heads with your own, first Chara, then Asriel. “Yeah, you did,” you reply, overflowing with more happiness than you know what to do with. “You guys brought me home.”

**Author's Note:**

> Frisk's clock for Chara is red, but it's so faded that it looks like it's white. Chara is more than fine with that.
> 
> Frisk's clocks:  
> Right shoulder - Toriel  
> Left shoulder - Asgore  
> Right collarbone - Chara  
> Left collarbone - Asriel  
> Back of neck - Sans  
> Right bicep - Undyne  
> Back - Gaster  
> Above the belly button - Papyrus  
> Left wrist - Alphys  
> Left leg - Mettaton  
> Right ankle - Napstablook


End file.
